Viking Centre
Unemployment in the UK just did something it hasn't done in a long time — went up.

According to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics, unemployment in the UK grew by 21,000 between December 2015 and February this year. The total number of unemployed people was 1.7 million, marking the first increase in seven months. On a year-to-year basis, there are now 142,000 fewer people unemployed in the UK than during the same period last year.

The unemployment rate remained unchanged at 5.1%, which is a record low in percentage terms.

While the number of people out of work increase, so too did the number of people working. Employment grew by 20,000 to 31.41 million people during the period.

Wage growth in the UK is also sluggish right now, with the ONS reporting that growth slowed in the three months to February. Wages grew 1.8%, down from 2.1% in January, and far lower than the 2.3% growth expected by economists.

At the release, the Office for National Statistics was cautious about reading too much into the figures. Here's an extract from the statistical agency's findings:

It’s too soon to be certain, but with unemployment up for the first time since mid-2015 – and employment seeing its slowest rise since that period – it’s possible that recent improvements in the labour market may be easing off.

And here's the ONS' chart showing how the number of people in employment has changed in the UK in recent months:

ONS

In a statement sent to Business Insider, Jeremy Cook, the chief economist at payments company World First said: “Unemployment data from the UK has been one of the few bright spots in recent months but survey and anecdotal data has shown that this maybe starting to dull. The weakness in growth, PMIs and general consumer and business sentiment are depressants on the labour market and it is a fear of ours that the momentum in job creation may be slowing; something that will deliver a knock on blow on to wage negotiations in the coming months.”